The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for assembling flexible flooring panels and, more particularly, to such a method and apparatus which produces a superior product at lower cost and in a more compact machine.
The method and apparatus disclosed herein are improvements on the method and apparatus disclosed and claimed in U.S. Letters Pat. No. 4,512,840, issued Apr. 23, 1985, to Vincent J. Marino. Similarly, the product produced by the method and apparatus of the invention is an improvement of that disclosed in U.S. Letters Pat. No. 4,360,992, issued Nov. 30, 1982, to Vincent J. Marino.
As is disclosed in the aforementioned patents, a dimensionally stable flooring panel may be manufactured by assembling rows of wood fillets with a foam spacer being interposed between the adjacent rows. The foam spacer accommodates dimensional changes in the wood making up the fillets, caused by either changes in temperature and humidity, and by doing so inhibits buckling of the floor panel.
The apparatus disclosed in the '840 patent built up a panel by initially joining together the innermost rows and then adding rows in succession to either side as the fillets advance through the apparatus. The rows were advanced step-wise one fillet length at a time and a solvent based adhesive was employed to bond the fillets to the foam strips. While a useful product was produced, the overall length of the machine was considerable due to the large number of gluing stages which had to be traversed and by the need to provide a long curing stage, where the adhesive could be sufficiently cured to permit subsequent handling and finishing of the assembled panels.
Among the several objects of the present invention may be noted the provision of apparatus for assembling an improved flooring panel; the provision of such apparatus which is of substantially reduced length as compared with prior art systems; the provision of such apparatus which advances the rows of fillets being assembled in substantially longer increments, as compared with prior art systems; the provision of such apparatus which is highly reliable and which is of relatively simple and inexpensive construction; and the provision of flooring panel which exhibits improved flexibility and which incorporates a stronger edge bond between the wood fillets making up the panel and a foam tape providing for expansion of the fillets. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereafter.